ARSENE WENGER fears Jack Wilshere is at risk of another injury breakdown – akin to the one that kept him out for more than a year – after admitting he may have overplayed the midfielder.

Arsenal’s Wilshere has a bruised bone in his left foot – a similar injury that led to a stress fracture in his right ankle that kept him out of football for 17 months.

Manager Wenger says Wilshere could face another long lay-off if he is not rested. He will miss tonight’s Champions League second leg at Bayern Munich – which Arsenal trail 3-1 – and also Saturday’s match at Swansea.

And Wenger confirmed he will not be available for England’s two World Cup qualifiers this month against San Marino and Montenegro.

Arsene Wenger admits he may have played Jack Wilshere too much this season

There is a fear that this is how the last injury started. The last time it deteriorated into a stress fracture. That’s what we don’t want to happen.

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger

“Nobody knows if it could happen again. The other ankle transformed so we don’t know.” Wilshere only returned from that serious injury at the end of October and has played in 26 Arsenal games since and also featured twice for England – his latest a man-of-the-match performance against Brazil when he played the full 90 minutes, much to Wenger’s dismay.

“Maybe I have overplayed him,” said Wenger. “ We are in a position as well where you always need your best players.”

Wenger added the national team’s doctors were welcome to assess the midfielder but said: “I cannot see him being available for England at all.”

Jack Wilshere was forced off against Sunderland before injuring his ankle at Tottenham

Wenger said: “Jack Wilshere is out. He has an inflamed ankle, the other ankle to the one he injured. He will be out for three weeks and will not be available for Munich, Swansea and not for England. Hopefully, for the Premier League he will miss only one game. We can slowly prepare him.

“We do a regular scan on him and on one of the scans showed up bone bruising on the heel on the left foot. He had an inflamed ankle on the right where he had surgery and certainly compensated to protect his right ankle, putting too much pressure on the left one. Every month he has a scan of the two ankles because he feels no pain.

“There is a fear that this is how the last injury started. The last time it deteriorated into a stress fracture. That’s what we don’t want to happen.

“With the history we had last time we said OK, it’s bone bruising, let him continue to play and it transformed into a stress fracture. That’s why the specialist said we cannot take this gamble.